RZ-1 A-wing Interceptor
The RZ-1 A-wing Interceptor is a starfighter that was designed by the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War, based largely on the R-22 Spearhead. It is one of the fastest interceptors in the known galaxy, even faster than the famed TIE Interceptor, the A-wing is often considered to be the functional heir of the Alpha/Delta/Eta line. Shortly after the Battle of Endor, the second generation A-wing, the Mark II, entered production and completely phased out the Mark I. It is produced under more standardized conditions than its hand-made predecessors, allowing for greater numbers, improved performance, and the elimination of structural and component flaws, cutting down on its high-maintenance needs. While A-wings were originally built on an individual basis by the Alliance itself, the Mark II is mass produced by the Republic Engineering Corporation. The value of a high speed interceptor for the New Republic is clear, but the A-wing, for all of its speed, has defensive and navigational limitations. Thus, new starfighters like the E-wing or T-65AC4 X-wing were created with comparable speed, but heavier shields and armor, astromech compatibility, and more powerful weapons. Despite the introduction of these starfighters, and efforts to standardize fleet operations, the A-wing's exceptional design and jamming capabilities allows it to endure well into the modern day. A number of A-wings have also found their way into civilian hands, often being used as scout vessels or escape vehicles. Pirates in particular are fond of the starfighter, using the A-wing in the same raiding capacity as the Alliance had in the past. =Characteristics= Simply put, the A-wing is a cockpit attached to twin engines. Like its Clone Wars predecessor, the Eta-2, the A-wing requires exceptional skill from the pilot to take full advantage of the vessel's speed, agility, and special features. The combination of sensitive controls, unmatched sublight thrust, maneuverable weapon systems, advanced sensory and stealth packages, relative fragility, and heavily exposed cockpit can strain even the best pilot. A-wings earned the nickname "slims" for their small frame, but also for the "slim" chance of a pilot surviving a direct hit on the ship, and the cramped cockpit that prevents larger pilots from flying the A-wing. Specifications A-wings present a number of challenges to pilots. Its Event Horizon engines remain some of the most powerful sublight thrusters ever placed on a starfighter and are linked to highly sensitive controls. Pilots have to make use of two pairs of dorsal and ventral adjustable stabilizer wings with great care, as even a minor turn can send the speedy A-wing into a massive spinout. In its earliest incarnation, the slight A-wing's wing-mounted laser cannons could rotate up and down sixty degrees for greater fire control. With the development of the Mark II this feature was expanded upon to allow the guns to swivel in a complete 360-degree arc, thus providing a nasty surprise to any chasing fighter. While a tactical boon, the A-wing has no astromech droid to manage its weapons systems, requiring further attention from the pilot. The starfighter is often employed for reconnaissance duty due to its superior sensor systems, and is frequently able to drop out of hyperspace into an enemy fleet, take sensor readings and holographic images, and escape before it is noticed. One reason why the A-wing was equipped with sensor jammers was to allow the fighter to disrupt opposing ships' targeting sensors, and therefore prevent accurate fire against the A-wing and the ships it defended. The use of the jammer coincided with one of the A-wing's original mission profiles, the protection of Rebel bases and convoy ships. Its unusual sensor-jamming array, which is powered directly from its massive engines, is generally effective only against starfighters. The jammers can completely blind a target's sensors as the A-wing moves in to strike. The jammer is also capable of disrupting communications and sensors, thereby allowing the A-wing to attack and escape before assistance can be called, or to ensure its ship-to-ship combat success. The jammers are most effective against fighters, however, they work only fairly well against corvettes and escort frigates. Larger warships, such as Star Destroyers, have sensor matrices far too large and elaborate for successful jamming, and such an attempt would only give away the A-wing's position. =History= Development The genesis of the A-wing resides in General Jan Dodonna's post-battle analysis of the Battle of Yavin. The value of Alliance starfighters were undeniable in the battle—but Dodonna was concerned that a simple trio of TIE starfighters had almost foiled the trench run. Knowing that the Imperial Navy was conducting similar analyses and would come to the same conclusions, Dodonna set about planning the creation of a dedicated Alliance interceptor. His prediction was perceptive, as Sienar Fleet Systems engineers began work on the TIE Interceptor, an Imperial fighter to match the A-wing in speed. To design the starfighter, Dodonna turned to Walex Blissex, famed ex-Kuat Systems Engineering engineer. Blissex had valuable experience from his work on the Clone Wars-era Delta-7 and Alpha-3 interceptors, and the two set about drawing up designs. Basing their initial designs around the R-22 Spearhead (probably already nicknamed by pilots as "A-wing", consistently to the -wing names of other Rebel craft), two of which had participated in the battle; the pair drafted a proposal and presented it to Chief of State Mon Mothma. Dodonna and Blissex's timing was not well-chosen; while the victory at Yavin had jolted thousands of worlds into rebellion, it had brought down Emperor Palpatine's wrath and scattered the Alliance. As such, funding was tight, and the A-wing program presented a major investment for the credit-strapped Alliance. Nevertheless, Dodonna's fame from his role in the Yavin victory made a denial difficult, and Mothma approved a reduced amount of funding. Early production To fit within their reduced budget, Dodonna and Blissex made substantial modifications to the original design. Blissex redrafted his component list to use components readily available within the Ministry of Supply and pushed each piece of the A-wing past original factory performance. The earliest A-wings were manufactured across Alliance facilities like Cardooine and Chardaan Shipyards. Each starfighter was hand-assembled, resulting in a slow production rate and a number of interesting modifications. The combination of hand assembly, use of second-hand components, the number of complex systems packed into the starfighter's small frame, and a general lack of quality control made A-wings notorious for their high maintenance to flight ratio—the second worst in the Alliance fleet in 3 ABY. As a result, the Alliance was able to field few full squadrons of A-wings; by 4 ABY, the fleet was able to summon only one full unit for the Battle of Endor. Only a handful of crack units, like Nomad Squadron or Pash Cracken's wing, were maintained across Alliance forces. =Operational Deployment= The first Alliance raids using A-wings surprised Imperial forces, which had been unable to penetrate the veil of secrecy over the interceptor's development. Although designed to defend static stations or slow Alliance starships from starfighter raids, the guerilla tactics of the post-Yavin Alliance strategy found the A-wing pressed into service as a quick-strike fighter. Using its impressive straight-line acceleration and advanced jamming package, A-wings were able to hit targets before they could respond, and then flee before any defense could be organized. This change found its apex in a devastating tactic known as the A-wing Slash which was developed by General Garm Bel Iblis. A group of X-wings would approach an Imperial convoy, hiding a number of A-wings in their drive exhaust. The X-wings would then pull away, diverting attention away from the speedy A-wings, which could launch HM-6 concussion missiles against the convoy and pull away. The A-wing also found use in reconnaissance missions, and would become a favorite among Fleet Intelligence and Alliance Intelligence operatives for its speed. A team of A-wings could exit hyperspace near an Imperial objective, begin jamming enemy sensors, draw scans and holographic imagery, and retreat before being detected. If it were detected, the pilots could easily outrun any pursuers ensuring the safety of the pilots and the intelligence. While the A-wing became popular for "hit-and-fade" raids and reconnaissance duty, it was required to operate from a nearby base of operations or carrier ship because of its navigational computer's limitations. A-wings could only make two hyperspace jumps before their navcomps required recalibration. =Sources= *Wookieepedia Category:Small CraftCategory:StarfightersCategory:InterceptorsCategory:New Republic ShipsCategory:Republic Engineering Corporation